By Mitchell Clarke
Online sellers have been hit with yet another warning from police about the needs to “take extra precautions” after a man was allegedly robbed of his mobile phone in Officer.
Police said the victim advertised in iPhone 11 on Facebook Marketplace and organised for an unknown male purchaser to meet him at Brownfield Drive just before 5pm on Wednesday 13 January.
The alleged male offender asked the victim to reset the phone before pushing him and snatching the phone from his hand.
He was then said to have fled the scene in a green sedan.
Police said there were a number of tips to help avoid being placed in a dangerous situation when buying or selling items online.
– Look into the buyer/seller before meeting up. Social media pages that have recently been created or only have a few followers may be indications they are fake,
– Instead of meeting at your house, meet in a public place where there are a lot of people around and plenty of CCTV,
– Don’t go alone – if possible, take a friend or family member with you,
– Communicate with the person verbally rather than via text/messaging so you can gauge if there is any suspicious behaviour going on (you can generally judge that by the way people speak to you),
– Do not accept screenshots as proof of payment.
The alleged offender of Wednesday’s incident has been described as of African appearance, aged in his early 20s, approximately 180cm tall, with a slim to medium build.
He was seen wearing a black face mask, black hoodie with white print on the front, black tracksuit pants and silver/diamond stud earrings.
Anyone with information is urged to contact Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000 or submit a confidential report at www.crimestoppersvic.com.au.
